Release Date: September 13, 2011

Most startups fail. But many of those failures are preventable. The Lean Startu
p is a new approach being adopted across the globe, changing the way companies a
re built and new products are launched.
Eric Ries defines a startup as an organization dedicated to creating something n
ew under conditions of extreme uncertainty. This is just as true for one person
in a garage or a group of seasoned professionals in a Fortune 500 boardroom. Wha
t they have in common is a mission to penetrate that fog of uncertainty to disco
ver a successful path to a sustainable business.
The Lean Startup approach fosters companies that are both more capital efficient
and that leverage human creativity more effectively. Inspired by lessons from
lean manufacturing, it relies on validated learning, rapid scientific experimentat
ion, as well as a number of counter-intuitive practices that shorten product dev
elopment cycles, measure actual progress without resorting to vanity metrics, an
d learn what customers really want. It enables a company to shift directions wit
h agility, altering plans inch by inch, minute by minute.
Rather than wasting time creating elaborate business plans, The Lean Startup off
ers entrepreneurs - in companies of all sizes - a way to test their vision conti
nuously, to adapt and adjust before it s too late. Ries provides a scientific appr
oach to creating and managing successful startups in a age when companies need t
o innovate more than ever.